I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and apparatus for remote control of software and hardware features in a wireless communication device using Short Message Services (SMS).
II. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems are constantly evolving. System designers are continually developing greater numbers of features for both service providers as well as for the end users. In the area of wireless phone systems, cellular based phone systems have advanced tremendously in recent years. Wireless phone systems are available based on a variety of modulation techniques and are capable of using a number of allocated frequency bands. Available modulation schemes include analog FM and digital modulation schemes using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Each scheme has inherent advantages and disadvantages relating to system architecture, frequency reuse, and communications quality. However, the features the manufacturer offers to the service provider and which the service provider offers to the consumer are similar between the different wireless systems.
Regardless of the modulation scheme in use, the wireless phone available to the end user has myriad features implemented. Nearly all wireless phones incorporate a display that allows the user to enter text banners, display dialed numbers, and display incoming caller numbers. Additionally, wireless phones may incorporate electronic phonebooks, speed dialing, single button voicemail access, and messaging capabilities.
Of course, in order for the consumer to take full advantage of all the features implemented in the phone many of the features require complementary feature support from the service provider. Voicemail storage and messaging capabilities necessarily must be implemented by the service provider in order for the consumer to have access through their supporting phones.
Additionally, features that are not apparent to the user may be incorporated into phones and capable of service provider support. A feature such as slotted paging allows a phone to monitor the RF link for paging messages only during an assigned time frame. This allows the phone to power down to an idle state during time frames that are not assigned to the phone. This allows the phone to conserve battery life, thus increasing standby and talk times. Slotted paging can increase the service provider's message capacity since phones can be distinguished using the assigned time slot in addition to addressing. Although the phone user benefits from slotted paging, the implementation and usage of the feature cannot be seen or initiated by the phone user.
The features described above present only a sample of features that are capable of, or have already been, implemented into wireless phone systems. Any individual feature is capable of implementation into some or all of the wireless systems using the modulation schemes mentioned above. A particularly useful feature provides messaging capability within phones. The Short Message Services (SMS) feature used in a CDMA wireless communication system allows for information transfer to and from a wireless phone. However, the implementation of SMS is not limited to use in a CDMA system. The description of SMS in a CDMA system is merely provided as a foundation for the discussion of the preferred embodiment of the invention presented below.
Short Message Services (SMS) are used to allow the communication of alphanumeric messages to wireless phones. The general specification for SMS in a CDMA phone system can be found in Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronic Industries Association specification TIA/EIA/IS-637, SHORT MESSAGE SERVICES FOR WIDEBAND SPREAD SPECTRUM CELLULAR SYSTEMS. The general specification for the CDMA phone system can be found in TIA/EIA/IS-95, MOBILE STATION-BASE STATION COMPATIBILITY STANDARD FOR DUAL-MODE WIDEBAND SPREAD SPECTRUM CELLULAR SYSTEM.
In a CDMA wireless communication system information is carried over multiple channels on a carrier frequency distinguished by modulation using orthogonal codes. The forward link (base station to subscriber unit) and the reverse link (subscriber unit to base station) use different carrier frequencies. The distinct orthogonal codes define channels for communication of information. Aside from the Pilot and Sync channels, there may be multiples of each channel type within the coverage area of any particular base station. Each channel will be distinguished by a separate orthogonal code such that simultaneous communication over the same frequency space is possible.
The subscriber unit, or phone, uses the Pilot and Sync channel transmissions by each base station to acquire and synchronize to the CDMA system. The Pilot and Sync channels contain system overhead information only and the subscriber unit does not transmit on these channels. The subscriber unit utilizes the Pilot and Sync channels to align the internal timing of the subscriber unit with the timing of the base station.
One or more Paging channels may exist in the system. Once the subscriber unit has acquired the Pilot and Sync channels, it monitors the Paging channel for messages directed to it. The messages may include overhead messages relating to link parameters or may include directed messages for a particular subscriber unit. The Paging channel is also used to transmit acknowledgements or responses to messages generated by the subscriber unit. The communication on the Paging channel can be directed from the base station to an individual subscriber unit, as in the case of an acknowledgement message, or can be directed from the base station to many subscriber units simultaneously, as in the case of broadcast messages.
The complement to the Paging channel is the Access channel. The base station monitors the Access channel for messages generated by the subscriber unit. The subscriber unit can transmit a variety of messages to the base station on the Access channel. The messages may include data burst messages, acknowledgements or responses to received paging messages, and registration access messages.
The Traffic channel completes the list of channel types available in a CDMA wireless communication system. The Traffic channel is used for voice, data, and messages. When communication is assigned to a Traffic channel both a forward link channel, enabling communication from the base station to the subscriber unit, and the reverse link channel, enabling communication from the subscriber unit to the base station, are dedicated to the current communication.
As mentioned above, the SMS feature allows the communication of short alphanumeric messages between the base station and the subscriber unit. Messages may be initiated at a message center and transmitted via the base station to the subscriber unit. Messages may also be initiated at the subscriber unit and transmitted to the message center through the base station.
Messages transmitted from the base station to the subscriber unit may be transmitted over the Paging or Traffic channels. The messages transmitted to the subscriber unit are formatted as Data Burst Messages as defined in TIA/EIA/IS-95. Messages may either be directed to individual subscriber units as point-to-point messages or may be simultaneously directed to many subscriber units as broadcast messages.
Even when broadcast messages are sent there is still the ability to provide some subscriber unit differentiation. The ability to direct broadcast messages to particular groups of subscriber units is provided in broadcast addresses. Subscriber units process a broadcast message only if it has been configured to accept the broadcast address. If the subscriber unit has not been configured to accept the broadcast address, the message will be discarded and not processed.
However, the multitude of features available on any particular wireless communication system presents problems to the service provider. The service provider may not choose to initially enable all features. The service provider may also choose to implement new features as they are developed. Subscriber units are initialized with features matching those offered by the service provider even though the phone may be capable of supporting additional features. Unfortunately, when the service provider activates new features, the phone must be manually updated to activate the additional feature. The manual update is either performed by requiring the user to return the subscriber unit to the service provider for update or by instructing the user to activate the feature through a series of keypad entries. Requiring the user to return the subscriber unit to the service provider for update is extremely inconvenient to the user and may result in many phones not having the feature activated. Similar problems exist when requiring the user to activate the feature through keypad entries. The user is instructed in how to access a protected service menu within the phone software and is provided directions in how to activate the feature. The user may never receive the instructions or, if the user is technologically unsophisticated, may be hesitant to attempt to activate the feature. Moreover, there is the danger that erroneous entry of information by the user may render the phone inoperable. What is needed is a method for remotely updating the feature set within a subscriber unit such that new features may be activated without user participation. Preferably, the activation would occur over the wireless communication link using an existing communication method.